THE Volvo V70 made me feel more a citizen of the world than any car I've driven for quite some time.
The dashboard lay-out was more a kind of automotive Esperanto, a set of switches and dials that intuitively described the car's various functions without any need for explanation.
The interior was a blend of Scandinavian practicality and reserved German luxury, while the exterior reflected the active lifestyles of the new generation of estate car owners.
The nose and strong shoulder lines echoed the award-winning shape and styling of the S80 but, from the windscreen back, the V70 asserts its own strong identity.
I found the V70 to be more of everything you would expect. For a start, the interior is marvellous. The dashboard is clean and elegant and the cabin is spacious enough to comfortably seat a family of five.
Cargo space is cavernous for a mid-size car, the result of a fairly boxy-looking back end. There are numerous clever storage nooks and crannies, and even a little gizmo for holding a pen, perhaps the most elusive object a driver will ever need.
The test car was one of Volvo's pioneering Bi-Fuel models, which primarily runs on liquified petroleum gas with a six-gallon back-up petrol tank, which gives you about an extra 150 miles to find a gas refilling point.
That was a bit of a problem around home as there was only one that I could find, and that involved a fairly hefty detour of my normal daily driving route.
Gas-powered cars are, I am sure, the way forward to clean up the environment of harmful exhaust emissions, but major petrol retailers need to bite the bullet and add LPG pumps to forecourts up and down the country, rather than just in isolated pockets.
Natural gas occupies more space in the combustion chambers of the five-cylinder engine, so power output drops by about 10 per cent when running on gas, but throttle response and driveability is unaffected. Fuel consumption is slightly better than with petrol and, more importantly, as unleaded heads inexorably towards £4 a gallon, gas costs only about 34p a litre.
The Bi-Fuel V70 is a factory-built car, involving no post-production modifications, so it enjoys Volvo's full three-year, 60,000-mile warranty.
The days when Volvo estates handled like plates of custard are long gone. The V70 has a stiff body which helps it ride smoothly and handle accurately. Body roll is almost non-existent and the tyres grip well.
The V70 is full of clever touches. Not only is the luggage area huge, but it also boasts luggage nets and hooks, straps to hold your shopping down, a bin and even an umbrella holder.
Standard equipment is generous. Leather trim is standard and there is a full range of seat and steering adjustment, powered windows and mirrors.
The V70 lives up to Volvo's reputation for safety with anti-whiplash and side impact protection systems and inflatable side curtains. Anti-theft measures, including central locking with alarm and immobiliser should deter all but the most determined thief.
Volvo's solid residuals means lower leasing costs - vital for the Swedish company's future success as a high proportion of V70s are company cars.
- Alistair Coull
WITH a reputation for producing one of the safest cars in the world, it is hardly surprising Volvo has taken up the environmental gauntlet with such enthusiasm.
The Swedish company has pursued the green goal with the same determination and pride it applied to creating a safety "cage" to protect the occupants of its cars: Remember all those crash tests, kinetic formulae and hard-hitting ads?
But the safe, sturdy persona has changed. Volvo still makes safe vehicles but now has a more trendy image. Volvo has been catapulted out of the style doldrums into the limelight of 21st-century auto design.
The V70 estate is part of that new-found success. Yes, it is a veritable strongbox, eco-friendly, practical and very stylish - but it still provides driving that is inspiring, if not riveting.
This particular V70 estate - which looks much grander than its predecessors - is one of Volvo's Bi-Fuel cars, with two fuel tanks: one for petrol (in effect regarded as the reserve), and one for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG). This alternative fuel results in lower, cleaner emissions in the environment. So now, as well as being one of the world's safest cars, it is also one of the cleanest!
Volvo is still the only manufacturer to offer a range of Bi-Fuel cars in the UK that are built on the same production lines as its standard cars unlike others that are converted afterwards. The Bi-Fuel is also available in the S70 model range.
Such a mixed diet didn't appear to affect the performance from the 2.4, 140bhp V70 test car, which exhibited plenty of energy on test, and there wasn't evidence of a blip during changeover to petrol when the LPG ran out.
The whole idea may sound weird and wacky, but it's not and it works very well. In fact, you are not consciously aware of the Bi-Fuel concept at all - until the need to replenish your LPG tank.
Tanking up with LPG might have proved a problem in the past, but now, with almost 1,000 stations in the UK offering the alternative fuel - and the number increasing at the rate of one a week - you can identify your convenient fill-up point without too much trouble. And, of course, there are some considerable savings to be made operating on gas.
The V70 is an extremely handsome tourer and it handles niftily - nothing like the Volvo estates of old where you literally felt you were willing its tank-like progress round corners.
Inside, the ergonomics are impressive. The seats are well sculpted, well sprung and comfortable, and the whole effect of the interior design, particularly the fascia, is clean, unfussy and contemporary looking.
Volvo has always been passionate about quality, and the award-winning V70 proves that the company is as diligent as ever.
This, with the firm's attitude to safety, detail and the environment, will win it many admirers.
- Val Jessop
FAST FACTS
Volvo V70 2.4 Bi-Fuel Estate
Price: £25,207
Mechanical: 140 bhp, 2,435cc 5cyl bi fuel petol/LPG engine, driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 127mph
0-60mph: 10.6 secs
Combined mpg: 27.7/20.08(LPG)
Insurance group: 13
CO2 emissions: 227/197 g/km
BiK rating: 21%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 8yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint